The Christian Writers Group is an affiliation of fellow writers who seek valuable feedback from other like-minded writers in Fountain Hills. Whether their goal is to become published or to pick up a new hobby, the Christian Writers Group is seeking new members to join in its vision of becoming better writers through the process of critique and encouragement.

Under the leadership of Jewell Johnson, the Christian Writers Group has been meeting for 42 years in Fountain Hills.

“We were going into Mesa to a [writers] group, and we thought, ‘Why not start our own,’” Johnson said.

Johnson, along with her friend Rosemary Malroy, were the first two writers in their newly formed club.

At first, the handful of growing members began to meet in members’ homes. As time went on, they moved to various churches throughout Fountain Hills before settling at their current location in the Fireside Room at the Fountain Hills Presbyterian Church. The group now meets every second Friday of the month at 9 a.m. to read, encourage and share feedback with fellow writers.

At each meeting, a new member is asked to volunteer to lead the following session, which begins with a prayer, a devotional and a few housekeeping items. At this point, the teaching portion begins, where the volunteering member will provide information about something new that they’ve learned about the process of writing.

Writing with emotion, how to write a devotional and adding proper punctuation are all topics that come up during the teaching portion of the meeting.

“And then people read what they have written,” Johnson said. “We give each other 15 minutes and about three pages, and we critique each other’s work.”

For Johnson, this is what the group is all about: giving feedback and offering a new perspective to the writer/presenter that may have been overlooked.

Johnson recalls a time when, while reading the opening of her new children’s novel, a member spoke up and said, “Oh no, don’t start there, start down here!”

“I didn’t see it because I’d been looking at it for too long,” Johnson said. “You need other people’s input to get it right. That’s really important.”

JoAnne Crosby is a 20-year member of the Christian Writers Group who says the fellowship is what’s most important to her. She gains inspiration to write after meetings and talking with fellow writers.

“You can go for months and months [without writing] and then you go to a group like this and say, ‘Hey wait a minute, I’ve got some ideas. I’m going to go home and write something,’” Crosby said.

Aside from the fellowship and feedback, staying in the know about local writing conferences is another perk of joining the group.

Every member of the Christian Writers Group has different goals along their writing journey, like writing a memoir, a novel or compiling an account of their family history. For Crosby, her goal is to write a curriculum for women who have experienced adult or childhood emotional, physical or verbal trauma, entitled “Hiding, Hurting & Healing.” For Johnson, her goal is simply to publish.

“I just went over my records for 2022,” Johnson said. “I think I had 50 articles published in ‘22.”

Johnson has four published books and every month has a goal of sending out 30 pieces of writing. Both Johnson and Crosby attribute their success to the Christian Writers Group, which has given them the confidence to take constructive criticism and become better writers.

“If you're a writer, you've got to have other people's input,” Johnson said. “Writing is a lonely business. You just sit and stare at that screen, and so you need other people to encourage you, to help you, to suggest things that you can do differently. You just need that fellowship.”

The Christian Writers Group is nondenominational and welcomes people of all backgrounds, faith or religion. For those interested in learning more about the Christian Writers Group, contact JoAnne Crosby at joannecrosby40@yahoo.com or call 763-242-9181.

As a parting note, Johnson offers a longstanding, indelible piece of advice for any writer looking to become more effective in their craft.

“Write it down,” she said. “When you get an idea, you have to write it down immediately, otherwise it leaves you.”